Backgammon

Goal

Move all fifteen checkers into your home board and bear them off before your opponent.

Race fifteen checkers home

You play White in these lessons; your opponent plays Black. White moves from point 24 toward point 1; Black moves the other way. Roll, select a checker’s point, then choose a listed move. Click, tap, or use Tab and Enter. This version always starts with White.

Points, bar and home

Each side starts with groups of 2, 5, 3 and 5 checkers. White’s home is points 1–6; Black’s is 19–24. Captured checkers wait on the bar. The off counter records checkers that finished the race.

Use one die

Practice example: Move an White checker from point 13 to point 10 using the three. The checker moved three points toward White’s home. One die was consumed.

Two opposing checkers block a point

You may land on empty points, your own checkers, or one opposing checker. Two or more opposing checkers block landing. You may pass over blocked points while using a single die.

Hit a lone blot

Practice example: Move from point 8 to point 5 using the three. Black had one checker on point 5. White landed there and sent that blot to the bar.

Bring a checker off the bar first

Practice example: Enter White’s checker from the bar using the two. White entered at point 23. Bar checkers must enter before any other checker can move.

Use both dice

Practice example: Move the point 8 checker first by two, then by three. The same checker used two separate legal landings, first point 6 and then point 3.

Use as many dice as possible

The engine offers moves that preserve the maximum number of playable dice. You cannot deliberately choose a move that wastes a die when another order uses both. If neither die can be used, the turn passes.

Use the higher die when only one fits

Practice example: Enter from the bar using two. The remaining move is blocked. Both entry points were open, but point 22 blocked a second move. When only one of two different dice can be used, the higher die is required.

Doubles provide four moves

Practice example: Use all four twos to move the lone White checker from point 9 to point 1. A double is played four times: 9 → 7 → 5 → 3 → 1.

All remaining checkers must be home

You may bear off only when every remaining checker is in your home board and none is on the bar. If a checker is hit during bearing off, bring it back home before bearing off again.

Bear off exactly

Practice example: Use the three to bear off White’s last checker from point 3. The die exactly matched the distance off. White’s off total reached fifteen, ending the game.

Use a larger die on the farthest checker

Practice example: Bear off the point 3 checker using six. There were no White checkers on higher home points, so the larger die could remove this farthest checker.

Single game, gammon and backgammon

A win is a single game if the loser bore off any checkers. With none off, it is a gammon; it becomes a backgammon if the loser also has a checker on the bar or in the winner’s home board. The app labels the result without a doubling cube or match-point total.

Normal match choices

Normal play offers a computer or two players on one device. Difficulty changes assistance and computer choices. Dice rolls are generated by the game; these practice positions use prepared rolls so the lesson is repeatable.